Pregame is the fifth episode of Presumed Innocent.
Synopsis[]
Raymond insists Rusty is innocent, but the weight of the looming trial pushes the Sabich family to its breaking point.
Summary[]
Rusty finishes beating Brian outside of his home and demands that he leave. After this, Rusty slams the door and holds the door down as Barbara consoles Jaden and Raymond on the phone tries to get answers on what was going on Rusty's side. In their room, Barbara is told why Brian was likely there and assures her that Brian won't go to the police for beating him up.
Tommy reviews the photographic evidence against Rusty and, in his review, finds the pictures of Kyle. As Tommy continues to review the pictures, Eugenia asks Tommy why she's the first witness on the case, and Tommy says it's because the defense will argue prosecutor bias. Eugenia assumes that Tommy will want her to say that Rusty is a murder, but Tommy corrects her and says he expects her to tell the truth. He then asks Eugenia if Rusty has any feelings toward Rusty, and Eugenia tells Tommy off.
Raymond has a nightmare where he's reviewing the evidence of Rusty's case, and his head explodes. He'd talk about this dream to Lo, and she claims that his dreams are telling him a clear message. She goes on to argue whether or not there's evidence that implicates Rusty, but she understands Raymond's standpoint about the burden of proof.
Rusty runs on a treadmill, which he recalls sometimes with Carolyn. Afterward, Rusty visits Brian's home, where he waits until Brian leaves with his wife Laura. Once they drive off, Rusty tries to break into Brian's house, but a dog stops him, and Brian confronts him with a wrench. Defensively, Rusty tries to reason with Brian, hoping he can talk with him.
The encounter with Brian is later explained to Raymond, who notes its repercussions. Raymond calls Mya over to have her listen to what he considers Rusty's half-baked idea that Liam Reynolds is responsible for Carolyn's death over his grudge toward her. In Rusty's opinion, he had connections on the outside, and from Rigo's interviews with inmates close to Liam, it's heavily implied that he had killed her. Rusty also reveals that Carolyn withheld evidence related to Bunny's case even though Brian's semen was found at the scene of the crime. After hearing all of this, Mya remarks that Bunny's case isn't theirs. Raymond also states that in his years of experience as a prosecutor, he argues the contrary of how they're involved and how Liam and Raymond play a part in Rusty's case. Still, Rusty insists on how his opinions are pertinent and his life is on the line. Raymond understands this, but notes how flaccid Rusty's argument is. Upset that he was unable to reach Raymond and Mya, Rusty leaves, but notes that Brian will be there tomorrow, much to Raymond's dismay.
That night, Rusty runs on the treadmill, and Jaden tells her mother about this in the kitchen. Barbara reveals that it was her idea for him to do it. Jaden then asks if her dad "did it." Barbara denies it and later, lying in bed with Jaden tells her that he suspects Brian did it. She then asks what Raymond thinks about it, and Rusty claims he thinks it's a dead end and that he's become a loose cannon. As Rusty talks to Jaden, Barbara walks up the stairs and overhears Rusty and Jaden's conversation. In Jaden's opinion, she agrees with Raymond's assessment of Rusty, basing it on when Rusty beat up Brian, but he defends this act as he threatened him, her, and their mother. After Jaden notes her worry for him, the two embrace each other.
Tommy recalls having a heart-to-heart with Carolyn about hearing that she doesn't want to work with him or not. Carolyn gives a vague answer, saying that she prefers to be the main prosecutor and trusts Rusty to be her assistant, but Tommy notes that it doesn't answer his question. A knocking at his office door, and it's Nico who talks about the imprisoned Liam and the credible threats he made toward Carolyn. Although Tommy investigated Liam, he argues that Liam is in prison and he's, therefore, a dead end. Hence, they need to focus their attention on Rusty, to which Nico agrees.
As Barbara sits in a bar, a flashback shows her calling Clifton as Jeanine waits at a table. Initially, Barbara notes how bad of an idea it was to contact him. He coaxes her to go through with it and visits his house, where she admires his slideshow visual art. The two soon share a kiss.
Meanwhile, Brian is questioned by Mya, Raymond, and Rusty. Brian is shown pictures of Bunny's corpse and her time as a prostitute. To Brian's confession, he was at the apartment where she died, and mentions that ever since his wife had their fourth child, she wasn't sexually active with him. When shown a picture of Liam, he completely denies ever meeting him.
Exiting the courthouse, Tommy is swarmed by the press, who initially dismissed the idea of a plea deal and meant to end it there. However, when he's asked about the appropriate measure of justice, Tommy states how there has been a lack of accountability not only in the city but in the country. He goes on a diatribe about how bankers exploited Wall Street, which made people live on the streets and the pharma industry with the opioid crisis. Tommy finishes off by saying that people in power have gotten away with abusing their power and will now face accountability.
In Nico's office, Nico asks Tommy how his talk with the press was helpful to them. After considering his answer and trying to convey his answer, Tommy tries to thank Nico for allowing him to take the case and handle it, but Nico questions if he really thought that. To Tommy's confession, his co-workers have picked up on cues not just from Raymond and Rusty, but from Nico. Right as Nico asks what Tommy's problem was in the last month, Tommy cuts him off, stating he needs to formulate strong goodwill and respect from the jury pool. His speech was to reinforce that with the potential jury pool.
Sometime after taking a morning shower, Rusty spends a bit of time with his family in the kitchen, but after he leaves, Rusty finds Kyle's bike in the trash. Returning to his home, he asks Barbara about it, who has no clue and claims she didn't put it there. Kyle admits he put it there, listing off various problems with it. In light of this, Rusty takes the bike out of the trash and puts it in the trunk of his car.
Afterward, Barbara talks to Dr. Liz about her affair with Clifton, where she admits she kissed him, but Dr. Liz claims it wasn't just a kiss. She called it more like a romance between Barbara and Clifton, and Barbara admits that it was romantic, while also claiming how it made her feel desired. However, despite not feeling ashamed by what she did, Barbara notes that she thought of Jaden during her time with Clifton and realized her thoughts on why she's stayed and forgiven Rusty. Confessing that she didn't have sex with Clifton, Barbara asks if she should be proud of that.
On top of the building where Raymond's office was at, Rusty takes a breather on top of the roof and is soon joined by Raymond. He assures him that he can win the case; however, he knows that they can allude to Liam or Kyle, but the case is not about who did it, but their motive is to prove Rusty didn't do it. Rusty argues the contrary, though Raymond disagrees. Changing the subject, Raymond asks if Barbara thinks he did it, and Rusty denies it, and Raymond states that Lo thinks he did. This starts a debate over Barbara's genuine belief in Rusty's innocence as she could testify over his demeanor the night of the murder, but Rusty rejects this.
Sitting in his office, Tommy watches a newscast about Carolyn's trial occurring the next day.
The next day, Rusty and his family receive a police escort to the court, where Judge Lyttle allows Tommy to start his opening statements. Tommy introduces himself and Nico as his co-worker. From there, he gives his opening statements about the victim, Carolyn. After Tommy finishes his opening statements and Mya, sitting behind Raymond, takes notes, Rusty curses.
Characters[]
- Rusty Sabich
- Brian Ratzer
- Barbara Sabich
- Jaden Sabich
- Tommy Molto
- Carolyn Polhemus
- Kyle Sabich
- Eugenia
- Raymond Horgan
- Lorraine Horgan
- Laura Ratzer
- Mya Winslow
- Liam Reynolds
- Alana Rodriguez
- Nico Della Guardia
- Jeanine
- Clifton
- Liz Rush
- Judge Lyttle
Gallery[]
